On Foreign Investment and Merger Controls: A Law and Geoeconomics View

Abstract

The essay provides a brief overview of the transition that occurred in major legal systems from golden share to golden power provisions in order to protect national strategic interests in the economic field, with a focus on Italy. A closer look is then dedicated to a recent proposal for an EU regulation on foreign investment control.

Final thoughts are developed in light of recent lines of social science research, pointing at the existence of geoeconomic contests in a context of economic wars.

Keywords: Golden Power, Geoeconomics, Economic Intelligence, Economic War, Merger Control

JEL Classification: F52, F60, K2, N4